Simeon All Access | Spotlight on Kendall Pollard

By Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune reporter

Kendall Pollard can boost his Simeon teammates' spirits in two ways.

The first earned the Wolverines senior the title of "Team Clown" from guard Jaylon Tate and typically involves locker-room impressions of coach Robert Smith and Chicago rapper Chief Keef. Bridget Pollard called her son "a little agitator," in the vein of silly cartoon characters, pulling an earlobe or tapping a shoulder when attention is diverted.

The second was on display Friday during a victory against Brooks, when the 6-foot-7 Dayton recruit capped a 15-point, multiple-dunk performance by launching an alley-oop pass to Kendrick Nunn, then bouncing about in a semicircle with a mischievous grin on his face.

"I've always been the guy with the most joy," Pollard said. "When I see somebody down, I try to crack a joke to cheer them up."

Simeon has needed a lift from Pollard this season as Jabari Parker recovers from a foot injury and Nunn relocates his groove. Smith said the second-year starter was Simeon's best player in the two games the Wolverines played in Texas and Tennessee, and he added Friday that Pollard and Tate have carried the team to its 4-1 record.

"He's aggressive, like a Dennis Rodman," Simeon junior Saieed Ivey said. "He's a cleanup man. He's going to go get the blocks. He's going to talk on defense. He's going to guard the best player. … You don't ever have to worry about Kendall playing hard."

While working on developing a consistent jump shot, Pollard's ability to get to the basket and finish has helped him average 8.8 points per game this season, including 20 total points on the road trip. His long arms, toughness and capacity to guard multiple positions typically mean he takes on defending an opponent's best player.

"I take pride playing defense because it's what keeps me on the floor," he said. "You might be faster than me, but I'm long, so I can keep you in front of me at all times. When you shoot, I can block you. And I can steal it on a crossover."

Tate, who called Pollard "probably one of our most consistent players so far," has watched Pollard develop from a not-as-athletic player on their Ferrari AAU team in grade school.

Pollard smiled and separated his hands horizontally when remembering himself as a "heavyset" child who played center on his early basketball teams at St. Margaret of Scotland in Chicago. He was bigger than nearly all of the other children from the time he was a baby until his growth accelerated in the seventh grade, his mother said.

Even now Pollard worries about his weight perhaps more than a typical teenage boy. He stopped drinking pop this month and is trying to cut back on bread, though he finds it difficult during school- and team-provided meals. His mother wants him to cut back on juice and add more vegetables.

"So I can stay in shape now, and when I get to Dayton I can keep up with the rest of those guys," Pollard said of his diet. "Because I know they're down there eating healthy and they're hitting the weights as well."

The hope is to arrive in Dayton with the same big personality, fit into a slimmer frame.

"Everyone has one," Smith said. "He's the comedian on the team, but what I love about him is when it's time to get serious, he's serious. When he steps on that court, he's all about trying to win the game."